More to Mark Train than the Mississippi

Dear Editor,

Most of us visualize Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) as the author who wrote about Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.

His life was one that included some amazing experiences. He was born in Florida, Mo., in 1835 and spent his boyhood in Hannibal, Mo., and along the Mississippi River.

Due to the death of his father, he left school at age 12 and set type at the Hannibal Journal. His older brother, Orion, owned his frontier publication.

Recently an NETV program was presented concerning Twain’s cruise on a steamship to Europe and the Holy Land.

He wrote letters about his trip and experiences traveling by horseback across desert sand. When I toured Israel in the 1990s, the transportation was by bus or small cars. Camels and donkeys moved alongside them in a special slow lane. Gasoline is very expensive there and so are automobiles.

Twain’s description of the cobblestone and narrow streets in Jerusalem is very accurate.

We saw Arab women herding sheep and goats, but didn’t visit one of their camps.

According to Twain, the tents of the sheiks were large and very luxurious. Meals were served that included silver candlestick holders and gourmet foods.

Like our tour group, they had to walk inter stocking feet int he Dome of the Rock mosque. (No shoes are allowed).

Letters written by Twain were sent to U.S. newspapers. He gave lectures when he returned home. His writings were compiled into a book, shish was given the title “Innocents Abroad.”

In 2017 this is a classic piece of literature. However, Twain’s other stores are more widely ready than “Innocents Abroad.”

Like many other fans of Mark Twain, I was surprised about his other adventures in the Hawaiian Islands and his trip by stagecoach to Nevada with his brother, Orion, who served as secretary of the Nevada Territory.